HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Southeastern Oklahoma State pulled off the first win for a No. 8 seed against the No. 1 seed in Great American Conference Volleyball Championship history as the Savage Storm won the final two sets to knock out the Lady Bisons in five sets in Thursday’s third GAC Championships – Presented by Subway quarterfinal from the Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
| GAC Volleyball Championships – Presented by Subway: Quarterfinal #3 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| #8 Southeastern Oklahoma State (14-16) |
25 |
13 |
18 |
25 |
15 |
| #1 Harding (21-8) |
18 |
25 |
25 |
20 |
9 |
OFFENSIVE LEADERS:
SE – Karine Cavalcante: 19 kills, .300 attack percentage, 21.5 points
Arianna Baker: 12 kills, .435 attack percentage
Alissa Benson: 58 assists
HU – Zoe Hardin: 12 kills, .462 attack percentage, 17.0 points
Emily Clayton: 12 kills
Abigail Glosup: 50 assists
DEFENSIVE LEADERS:
SE – Caitlin Cosby: 27 digs
Abby Jameson: 12 digs, three blocks
HU – Hardin: seven blocks
Taylor Lake: 23 digs
Alex Nolan: 22 digs
FIRST SET HIGHLIGHTS:
The contest opened with eight ties before either team had reached the 10-point mark. Tied at nine, Southeastern scored six of the next seven points to seize control of the set. The Savage Storm grabbed the lead after Cavalcante and Jameson combined for 11 kills and a .304 attack percentage. Benson dished out 17 assists on their 18 kills.
SECOND SET HIGHLIGHTS:
Harding leveled the match by shutting down the Southeastern offense. After hitting .273 in winning the first set, the Savage Storm produced a -.086 attack percentage. Conversely, the Lady Bisons improved from a .114 attack percentage in the opening set to .250 in the second set. With three kills and three blocks in the set, Clayton paced the Lady Bisons to the 25-13 win.
THIRD SET HIGHLIGHTS:
Harding’s offensive efficiency reached its zenith in the third set as the Lady Bisons hit .452 with 20 kills against only one error. Glosup totaled 16 assists and three kills and joined Hardin and Clayton to hit a combined .579 in the set. With four kills, an ace and three blocks, Hardin accounted for 6.5 points in the set. Southeastern’s Baker turned in her strongest set as she tallied six kills and a .545 attack percentage.
FOURTH SET HIGHLIGHTS:
The Savage Storm started their comeback with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. With the set tied at eight, Southeastern scored seven of the next 10 points to grab control of the set. Harding never drew closer than three points the remainder of the set. Cavalcante contributed 6.5 points during the set with five kills, an ace and a block. After making only four errors it second and third sets combined, Harding committed seven attack errors in the set.
FIFTH SET HIGHLIGHTS:
The Savage Storm won eight of the final 10 points to close out the match. They hit .500 without an error in the set. Benson tallied 11 assists in the set with Cavalcante and Jameson accounting for seven of the kills. Like Southeastern, Harding did not commit any attack errors in the set and hit .375.
NOTABLE:
- Southeastern Oklahoma State became the first lower seeded school to win a GAC Championship quarterfinal match since East Central (No. 5) and Southern Arkansas (No. 6) earned wins at the 2011 GAC Championships
- Southeastern Oklahoma State became the first lower-seeded school to win a five-set match in GAC Championship history (0-8 entering the match)
- Southeastern Oklahoma State: second GAC Championship win (previous: 2014 quarterfinals vs Southern Arkansas)
- Southeastern Oklahoma State: second win vs Harding since joining GAC (2-7 overall record)
- Cavalcante (SE): 19 kills, 13 digs – 10th double-double of the season
- Hardin (HU): GAC Player of the Year – only one GAC Player of the Year has led her team to a GAC Championship title
WHAT’S NEXT:
Southeastern Oklahoma will face the Southwestern Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. on Friday.